PART 701—ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1975, 1975a, 1975b. Source: 67 FR 70482, Nov. 22, 2002, unless otherwise noted. Subpart A—Organizations and Functions § 701.1 Establishment. The United States Commission on Civil Rights (hereinafter referred to as the “Commission”) is a bipartisan agency of the executive branch of the Government. The predecessor agency to the present Commission was established by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, 71 Stat. 634. This Act was amended by the Civil Rights Act of 1960, 74 Stat. 86; the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 241; by 81 Stat. 582 (1967); by 84 Stat. 1356 (1970); by 86 Stat. 813 (1972); and by the Civil Rights Act of 1978, 92 Stat. 1067. The present Commission was established by the United States Commission on Civil Rights Act of 1983, 97 Stat. 1301, as amended by the Civil Rights Commission Amendments Act of 1994, 108 Stat. 4339. The statutes are codified in 42 U.S.C. 1975 through 1975d. (Hereinafter, the 1994 Act will be referred to as “the Act.”) § 701.2 Responsibilities. (a) The Commission's authority under 42 U.S.C. 1975a(a) may be summarized as follows: (1) To investigate allegations in writing under oath or affirmation that citizens of the United States are being deprived of their right to vote and have that vote counted by reason of color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin; (2) To study and collect information relating to discrimination or a denial of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution because of color, race, religion, sex, age, disability or national origin or in the administration of justice; (3) To appraise the laws and policies of the Federal Government relating to discrimination or denials of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution because of, color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin or in the administration of justice; (4) To serve as a national clearinghouse for information relating to discrimination or denials of equal protection of the laws because of color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin; (5) To prepare public service announcements and advertising campaigns to discourage discrimination or denials of equal protection of the laws because of color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin. (b) Under 42 U.S.C. 1975a(c), the Commission is required to submit at least one report annually that monitors Federal civil rights enforcement efforts in the United States and other such reports to the President and to the Congress at such times as the Commission, the Congress, or the President shall deem appropriate. (c) In fulfilling these responsibilities the Commission is authorized by the Act to hold hearings and to issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses; to consult with governors, attorneys general; and other representatives of State and local governments, and private organizations; and is required to establish an advisory committee in each State. The Act also provides that all Federal agencies shall cooperate fully with the Commission so that it may effectively carry out its functions and duties. Subpart B—Organization Statement § 701.10 Membership of the Commission. (a) The Commission is composed of eight members (or “Commissioners”), not more than four of whom may be of the same political party. The President shall appoint four members, the President pro tempore of the Senate shall appoint two, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint two. (b) The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Commission are designated by the President with the concurrence of a majority of the Commissioners. The Vice Chairperson acts as Chairperson in the absence or disability of the Chairperson or in the event of a vacancy in that office. (c) No vacancy in the Commission affects its powers and any vacancy is filled in the same manner and is subject to the same limitations with respect to party affiliations as previous appointments. (d) Five members of the Commission constitute a quorum. § 701.11 Commission meetings—duties of the Chairperson. (a) At a meeting of the Commission in each calendar year, the Commission shall, by vote of the majority, adopt a schedule of Commission meetings for the following calendar year. (b) In addition to the regularly scheduled meetings, it is the responsibility of the Chairperson to call the Commission to meet in a special open meeting at such time and place as he or she shall deem appropriate; provided however, that upon the motion of a member, and a favorable vote by a majority of Commission members, a special meeting of the Commission may be held in the absence of a call by the Chairperson. (c) The Chairperson, after consulting with the Staff Director, shall establish the agenda for each meeting. The agenda at the meeting of the Commission may be modified by the addition or deletion of specific items upon the motion of a Commissioner and a favorable vote by a majority of the members. (d) In the event that after consulting with the members of the Commission and consideration of the views of the members the Chairperson determines that there are insufficient substantive items on a proposed meeting agenda to warrant holding a scheduled meeting, the Chairperson may cancel such meeting. § 701.12 Staff Director. A Staff Director for the Commission is appointed by the President with the concurrence of a majority of the Commissioners. The Staff Director is the administrative head of the agency. § 701.13 Staff organization and functions. The Commission staff organization and function are as follows: (a) Office of the Staff Director. (b) Office of the Deputy Staff Director. (c) Office of the General Counsel. (d) Office of Management. (1) Administrative Services and Clearinghouse Division. (2) Budget and Finance Division. (3) Human Resources Division. (e) Office of Federal Civil Rights Evaluation. (f) Congressional Affairs Unit. (g) Public Affairs Unit. (h) Regional Programs Coordination Unit. (i) Regional Offices. Region I: Eastern Regional Office, Washington, DC Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia. Region II: Southern Regional Office, Atlanta, Georgia Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Region III: Midwestern Regional Office, Chicago, Illinois Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Region IV: Central Regional Office, Kansas City, Kansas Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Region V: Rocky Mountain Regional Office, Denver, Colorado Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Region VI: Western Regional Office, Los Angeles, California Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.